Electric advertising device and street-indicator.



` No.733,053. PATENTED JULY 7, 1903.

R. D. LAMPSON.

ELECTRIC ADVERTISING DEVICE ANDV STREET INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAB. 1a, 1902.

No, 733,053. PATENIED JULY '7, 1903. R. D. L'AMPSONQ ELECTRIC ADVERTISING DEVICE AND STREET INDICATOR. APPLIOATION FILED: MAB. 1s, 1902. no MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET z.

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Ne. vosaf UNITED y"STATES Patented Jdiy t?, 190e.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT DAVID LAMPsON, OE NEWYORK', N. Y., AssIeNOR To H'IMSELE ANDMAYER MIcHaELs, on NEW YORK, N;

ELECTRIC ADVERTISING DEVICE/AND STREET-INDICATOR.

sPEoIFIcATINferming part ef Letters Patent No. 733,053, dated July '7, 1903. Application filed March 18,1902. Serial No. 98,777. (No model.)

To' 1r/ whom` it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT DAVID LAMP- sON, a subject ofA the King" of Great Britain, residing at New York, in the county and State of N ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Advertising Devices'and Street-Indicators, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to electric advertising devices and street-indicators, and has for its object to provideA an improved device of the class described which will possess points of `advantage in convenience, effectiveness, and general efficiency.

Another object of'this invention is to provide an improved device ofthe class described which will successively present the names of streets or advertisements or other ideas placed in the device.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation -of an indicator embodying my improvements with the front removed. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same on line y y, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 .is a side view of the same on line a; Fig;

1. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic viewi with partsA broken away, showing Jtrolley and conductors rail connections. Fig. 5 is a horizontal cross- 5 5, Fig. 3. .e

Corresponding parts in all the figures are denoted by the same reference characters. `Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a casing within which the operative parts` of my inventionV are housed and which may be of any suitable form to adapt it to the position in which it is to be placed. The casing 1 has ya suitable opening 2 in its front, over which a transparent covering 3 may be placed.

In the form shown the casing 1 is a rectan-V gular box-like device adapted to be secured above the door at the end of a car.- In the upper and` lower partof the casing shafts 4e are rotatably mounted transversely of the casing 1. end with a gear efgwhichmeshes with a springcontrolled wheel 4b, mountedin proximity to the shafts Ll and tending to turn the shafts L1 in opposite directions. The shafts 4. carry spools 5, to which the ends of a strip G of flexible material are respectively secured. The strip (i is provided at suitable intervals The shafts 4 are provided at one.

with whatever it is desired to display through the opening 2-as, for instance, the names of perforations 7 iL and move the strip 7, carrying with it the strip 6. The circumference of the wheels 9 is equal to the distance between the centers of the spaces occupied by the matter to be displayed through the opening 2, so that at each revolutionof the wheels 9 the strip `6 is moved one space. The strip 7 is held -in constant engagement with the toothed wheels 9 bya roller 10, placed outside the strip 6*, and the toothed wheels 9,tl1e roller 10', and a similar roller 11" placed on the inside of the strip 7 and below the opening 2, serve as guides to hold the strip 6 parallel to the inside of the front wall of the casing 1. Near one end of the shaft S a bevel-gear l2 is loosely mounted between two friction-disks 13, one of which is iiXedly secured on the shaft 8, and the other is slidably mounted on the shaft 8 and provided with means of pressing it against the gear 12, which means are here shown as `a spring 14e, coiled about the shaft 8 and bearing at one end against the slidably-mounted disk 13 and at the other end against a collar 15, adjustably mounted on the shaft Si. The shaft S carries at the end opposite the gear 12 a finger 16.` t Adjacent to the finger 16 a shaft 17 is mounted, which carries an escapementwheel 18, provided with recesses in its perimeter, against the upper or lower surface of which the finger 16 normally rests, according to the direction of its rotation, and aratchetwheel19. Means are provided for permitting the intermittent revolution of the shaft 8. In

the form shown such means consist of an` electromagnet 20, located in juxtaposition to the ratchet-.wheel 19, and the armature 2O` 4of which carries a pivoted spring-actuated pawl 21, which when the magnet 2O is energized causes the ratchet-wheel 19 to move one step. This permits the finger 16 to pass through one of the recesses in the perimeter of the escapement-wheel 18 and the shaft 8, carrying the toothed wheels 9, to make one revolution. The electromagnet 20 is connected through suitable electrical connections with a suitable electricalbattery (not shown) and an electrical bell 22 and an electrical pushbutton (not shown) within convenient reach of an operator, who maybe the conductor of the car.

A driving-shaft 24 is suitably mounted in the casing 1 and connected with suitable motive power, preferably an electric motor 25, of any of the usual types. The drivingshaft 24 is provided at each end with a bevelgear 26, one of whichl meshes with a gear 25a,

carried by the motor 25, and the other with the bevel-gear 12. The `.motor 25 has a switch (not shown) for reversing the action of said motor 25, which is also placed within reach of such operator.

If desired, the electrical connections connected with the electromagnet 2O and the bell 22 may be conducted to a convenient point adjacent to the overhead trolley-wire or the underground conductor-rail and be operated by a trip 28, placed adjacent to the streetcrossings upon said wire and rail and which trip in the form herein shown consists in the case of overhead wire of an arm 29, extending outward from said wire and having the depending end portion adapted to contact with said electrical connections and complete the electrical circuit, and in the case of the conductor-rail of an arm 30, depending from said rail andhaving an end portion projecting horizontally and adapted to contact with the ends of such electrical connection and complete the circuit. l

The operation and advantages of my invention will be readily understood and appreciated.

The casing 1 may be secured over the door at the ends of cars or along the sides of such cars over the windows, respectively, as it is to be used to display the names of the streets passed or of advertisements. In either case the features to be displayed are placed upon a strip of flexible material at a suitable distance apart, so that only one at a time will show through the opening 2 and such strip laid upon a perforated metal strip 7, the ends of both of which strips are secured, respectively, to the spools 5, the said strips having previously been passed over the roller 11 and between the toothed wheels 9 and roller 10, which serve as guides to hold that portion of the strip containing the feature to be eX- hibited parallel with the inner wall of the front of the casing 1. The electric motor 25 is now started and through the driving-shaft 24 revolves the gear 12, which as long as the finger 16 rests against the escapement-wheel 18 turns about the shaft 8, the friction-disks 13 not having friction enough to overcome the resistance offered by the finger 16. When it is'desired to change the feature opposite the opening 2, the push-button is pressed, causing the energization of the electromagnet 2O and the movement of the'ratchet-wheel19 one space, during which movement the finger 16 passes through one of the recesses in the perimeter of the escapement-wheel 18, and the tingers resistance being removed the gear 12 rotates the shaft 8 until the finger 16 again comes in contact with the escapement-wheel 18, at which time the shaft 8 will have made one revolution. As soon as the push-button is released the electromagnet 2O is demagnetiz'ed and the pawl 21 prevents further movement of the ratchet-wheel 19, so that after one revolution of the shaft 8 the nger 16 is arrested by the escapement-wheel 18. In this situation the shaft 8 will not be turned by the meshed gears 12 and 26, because the tension of the friction-disks is insufficient to overcome the resistance offered by the engagement of the finger 16 and the escapementwheel18. W'hen the strip has been wound upon one of the spools 5 to its utmost limit, the motor 25 is reversed in the usual way by the operator and the strip wound upon thev other spool, causing the reverse. movement of said strip. It will thus be understood that the streets along the route of a car may be easily displayed for the convenience of passengers during the entire passage of the preceding block and that when the end of the route is reached all that is necessary to display the streets in their reverse order is to reverse the motor 25.

In case it is desired to display advertisements the means, such as a clock-movement, for stopping the revolution of the wheels 9 may be arranged to release said wheels at predetermined intervals and the motor 25 may be so connected with the device that when the strip is fully wound upon one of the spools 5 the additional bulk of said spool may itself operate a switch to reverse the motor 25.

I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the details of construction and arrangement as herein described and illustrated, as it is manifest that variations and modifications may be made in the features of construction and arrangement in the adaptation of the device to various conditions of use without departing from the spirit and'scope of my invention and improvements. I there- IOS ITO

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fore reserve the right to all such variation y and modification as properly fall within the scope of my invention and the terms of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A device of the class described, comprising a casing provided with a sight-opening, rollers mounted in said casing above and below such opening, a strip secured at Athe ends to said rollers and provided with a perforated 'metal backing and on its outer surface with objectsto be displayed, a shaft carrying' opening.

2. A device of the class described, comprising a casing provided with a sight-opening, rollers mounted in said casing above and below such opening, a strip secured at its Aends driv in g-shaft.

3. In a device of the class described, com- "prising a casing provided with an opening in front, rollers mounted in said casing above `and. below said opening, a perforated strip carrying the object to be displayed and secured at its ends to said rollers, a shaft car- `rying toothed wheels adapted to engage said perforations, land means for operating said shaft, a finger carried by said shaft, an escapement-wheel against the upper or lower surface of which the finger normally rests according to the direction in which the shaft is turned and the perimeter of which is provided with notches for the passage of the finger as the escapement-wheel is moved, a ratchetwheel on the escapement-wheel shaft, `and means for moving said ratchet-wheel step by step to release said finger and permit one revolution of said toothed-wheel shaft.

4. In a device of the class described, comprising a casing provided with an opening in front, rollers mounted in said casing above and below said opening, a perforated strip carrying the object to be displayed and secured at its ends to said rollers, a shaft carrying toothed wheels adapted to engage said perforations, and means for operating said shaft, a finger carried by said shaft, an escapement-wheel against which said finger norm ally rests, aratchet-wheel on the escapement-wheel shaft, an electromagnet, an armature controlled by said magnet a springpawl carried by the armature and adapted to move the ratchet-wheel step by step to release the finger and permit one revolution of the toothed-wheel shaft, and means for-energizing the magnet.

5. A device of the class described, comprising a casing provided with a sight-opening, rollers mounted in said casing above and below such opening, a strip secured at its ends y to said rollers and provided with a perforated' metal backing and on its outer surface with objects to be displayed, a shaft carrying toothed wheels engaging said perforations, a

gear loosely mounted on said shaft between friction-disks carried by said shaft, `a drivingshaft carrying a gear connected with the loosely-mounted gear, means for intermittently releasing the toothed-wheel sha-ft for one revolution, and an electric motor operatively connected with the driving-shaft;

o. ln a device of theclass described, comprising a casing provided with an opening in front, rollers mounted in said casing above and below said opening, a perforated strip carrying the object to be displayed and secured at its ends to said rollers, a shaft carrying toothed wheels adapted to engage said perforations, and means fuor operating said shaft, a finger carried by said shaft, an escapement-wheel against which said linger normally rests, a ratchet-wheel on the escapement-wheel shaft, and means for moving said ratchet-wheel step by step to release said finger and permit one revolution of said toothedwheel shaft.

7. In a device of the class described, comprising a casing provided with an opening in front, rollers mounted in said casing above and belowT said opening, and a'strip perforated along its edges and carrying the objects to be displayed and secured at its ends to said rollers, a shaft carrying toothed wheels in engagement with said perforations and havinga friction-gear thereon, a motor connected with said friction-gear, and means for intermittently stopping the revolution of said shaft.

8. A device of the class described, comprising a casing provided with an opening in front, rollers mounted in said casing above and below said opening, spring wheels normally tending to revolve said rollers in opposite directions, a iiexible strip provided with a perforated backing and secured at the ends to said rollers and having on its outer surface at predetermined intervals the objects to be displayed, a shaft carrying toothed wheels engaging said perforations, a gear loosely,

mounted on said shaft, between spring-controlled friction-disks, a motor connected by a train of gears with said loosely-mounted gear, a finger carried by said shaft, an escapement-wheel provided with recesses in its perimeter and against whose surface said finger normally rests, a ratchet-wheel carried by said escapement-wheel shaft, a spring-controlled pawl engaging said ratchet-wheel, an electromagnet connected with said pawl, and means for energizing said magnet to move said ratchet-wheel and release said finger.`

9. A device of the class described, comprisinga casing provided with an opening in front, rollers mounted in said casing above and below said opening, a perforated strip carrying the objects to be displayed and secured at its ends to said rollers, a shaft carrying toothed wheels engaging said perforations, a finger carried by said shaft, an escapement-wheel against the upper or lower surface of which said finger rests according to the direction in which said shaft is turned and the perimeter IOC IIO

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of which is provided With notches for the pas- In testimony whereof I have signed my sage of said finger as said eseapement-Wheel name in the presence of the subscribing Wit- :is moved, means for moving said escapementnesses.

Wheel to release said inger and permit one ROBERT DAVID LAMPSON. revolution of said shaft, and reversible means Witnesses: for operating said shaft When said finger is' l IIART'WELL P. HEATH,

released. JOHN M. HoCToR. 

